Between Dressrosa and Zou, there was a really abysmal clip show that reanimated segments from hundreds of episodes ago. Now that we're transitioning arcs once again, it seems as though this might become a more regular occurrence; the vast majority of this episode is a remake of the Alabasta arc. It's nowhere near as bad-looking, and there's important story content accompanying it, but it's definitely another blow to the recent snail's pace that I'm desperate to get out of.
Vivi and the rest of the Alabasta crew are off to Mariejois, the capital of the World Government. The upcoming "Reverie", a meeting of the various royal leaders of the world that's held every four years, has been given tremendous significance in the story, trailing back long before the timeskip. The stated intent of this meeting is to have discussions about the betterment of the world, but the narrator sums it up succinctly: "Since they are all judicious and sly leaders of nations, things never go smoothly." The politicians are not a far cry from the pirates.
One Piece has done a tremendous job creating a political landscape of its own, where everything is connected and corruption is not easily dealt with. The implication is that massive change-ups will be set in motion, both good and bad. The Straw Hats will have several friends there, the kingdoms of Alabasta, Dressrosa, and Fishman Island, the latter having the most at stake since they seek to repair race relations between Fishmen and humans. Also present is Navy Admiral Fujitora, who's still fairly new to the government system but seems strong and wise enough that his goal of abolishing the Seven Warlord system doesn't seem impossible, albeit likely with some trouble.
Fans have spent a long time speculating whether or not the inevitable Reverie would involve the Straw Hats themselves being present, but considering the current events, that seems unlikely. I'm sure we'll see much of the Reverie itself, but it will have to exist as a side story that Luffy isn't directly involved in. At the same time, Luffy's friends like Vivi and Shirahoshi seem like appropriate point-of-view characters in his absence. I'm placing my bets on the Reverie happening in the transition between the Whole Cake Island and Wano arcs.
So most of this episode is ultimately a clip show. In theory, it should be nice to see old scenes tidied up with new animation, but more often than not, it's depressing to see the organic feel of the old episodes interpreted with a flat, plastic look. I don't think the newer animation of the series' style is inherently bad, but I think getting the most out of it requires more time and care than Toei often has. It just feels different, and for the worse.
This episode is a million times better than the last re-animated clip show, so at least it's got that going for it. The hints of the upcoming Reverie are exciting, and there's enough story content in here to make it worth watching. The episode also ends with Carrot's surprise appearance on the Thousand Sunny as Luffy and crew are on their way to Whole Cake Island, so that's one more person for the Sanji Rescue Team. All in all, it's a fine episode.
Titles include: Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross F, Macross Delta, more― The official Macross website announced on Monday that the "Star" brand of Disney+ will stream numerous anime from the Macross franchise in 2024. Macross F character designer Risa Ebata illustrated the visual below to commemorate the news. The confirmed titles include multiple editions of Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross F, and ...
Artist also worked as animator, character designer for anime for Ashi Production, Kaname Production― The official Twitter account for artist Mutsumi Inomata announced on Monday that Inomata died on March 10. Her family held a private funeral. The announcement added that Inomata's death was "sudden," and she still had the draft for a new illustration that she had only started drawing before she died....
Soon to be an anime series, The Blue Wolves of Mibu is a safe bet for fans of the Shinsengumi historical subgenre.― The Shinsengumi is pretty inescapable in Japanese fiction, and I fully admit that most of my reading about them in the manga and visual novel sphere has been on the shōjo side – the Hakuouki franchise and the incomparable Kaze Hikaru, in particular. But there's undoubtedly more than ju...
Director Daisuke Hiramaki, assistant director Ciao Nekotomi, and producer Shimpei Yamashita discuss the series' extra-long premiere, its depiction of the idol industry, and what fans can look forward to in season two.― The 【Oshi No Ko】 anime series was a breakout hit last year. The series smashed records at streaming service HIDIVE to become its "#1 series launch in the streamer's history." The ani...
The conclusion of the "Fertility Arc" drags in places, but it's bittersweet and remarkably fulfilling, and that makes up for many of its deficiencies.― Spoiler Warning: This review will contain spoilers for volumes sixteen and seventeen of the light novel series. Freya is tired of waiting. She's decided that if she can't have Bell through fair means (or at least "fair" in her mind), she'll resort to...
One of "the most unorthodox and innovative" anime is out on Blu-ray in this subtitled-only release. We'd like more extras, but you can't say no to Bocchi.― Unless you're a brand-new anime fan, you probably have heard of Bocchi the Rock!. If you are a new fan, welcome! When it came onto the scene in the fall of 2023, it was an easy crowd-pleaser with the way it combined cute girl hobby anime aestheti...
Jean-Karlo invites us to take a look at Akira Toriyama's influence and legacy in the gaming industry. There are also good/bad news for Puyo Puyo and The Super Mario Bros.― Welcome back, folks! I didn't get a chance to plug it last week, but my column on monster-collecting games came out last week! The timing on that column was... something. That weekend turned out to be the 25th anniversary of the D...
Join Anime News Network's Lynzee Loveridge and Richard Eisenbeis, and Trash Taste Pod's Gigguk as they watch over fifty anime trailers from the Spring 2024 anime season!― The Trailer Watch Party is growing up with a live stream from Trash Taste Pod's After Dark studio. Join Anime News Network executive editor Lynzee Loveridge, ANN Japan correspondent Richard Eisenbeis, and Trash Taste Pod's Gigguk a...
Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable.― Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable. Yes, our hero Desir Herrman is the typical overpowered protagonist seen in so many isekai and time loop stories, and yes, he's faci...
"I'll spit on you for $5!" Lucas DeRuyter spoke to pro adult content creators about con attendees LARPing as sex workers, and how a more consensual experience is better for everyone.― Note: The images in this article are likely NSFW. Cosplay model, panel host, and sex worker Ronnie/Bunni Black described the anime community as having "cognitive dissonance" towards adult content. As sex workers in th...